Nick Scipio
So Long, Summer Camp
Summer Camp Swingers: Christy Series Book 8
Contents
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Part 1: Aug 1984 – Jul 1990
Part 2: Aug 1990 – Jun 1993
Part 3: Jul 1993 – Jun 1996
Part 4: Jul 1996
Part 5: Jul 1996 – Nov 1997
Part 6: Oct 1996 – Jun 2002
About the Author
Chapter 40
Christy and I finally went back to bed in the wee hours of the morning. We slept late and emerged from the bungalow a little before noon.
The storm was a distant memory. A cool breeze had cleared the persistent summer haze, and fluffy white clouds floated in a topaz blue sky. The ground was a different story. It was littered with forest debris, everything from old brown pine cones to fresh green needles. The pool had been too, but someone had cleaned it.
Brooke and Wren were sitting in lounge chairs, talking more than sunbathing. They’d been laughing a moment earlier. They heard us and looked over their shoulders at the same time.
“Well, speak of the devil,” Wren said.
“In the flesh,” Brooke agreed.
Christy realized they were looking at her instead of us. “What?”
“Oh, nothing,” Brooke lied.
Wren switched gears and asked, “Did you finally get some sleep? What was it? Five a.m.?”
“Um… something like that,” I said, a little sheepishly.
“I thought you were going to wake the whole camp,” she added.
“I slept right through it,” Brooke said. “Didn’t hear a thing.”
“At first I thought it was the storm,” Wren told her, “but then they started playing tag… or whatever it was.”
“It was Paul’s fault,” Christy said.
I started to come to her defense, but Wren didn’t give me a chance.
“What do you think?” she asked Brooke. “Does that sound right?”
Brooke considered it but then shook her head.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Wren said. “She used to do it to me all the time.”
“What? Wake you up in the middle of the night?” Brooke said. “Yeah, same here.”
Christy stiffened mulishly, and I had to suppress a chuckle. She really was innocent this time, but she had a reputation.
“I always had fun when she did…,” Wren began.
“You can say that again!” Brooke laughed.
“But it isn’t the same when she’s running and screaming her head off.”
“I wasn’t screaming my head off,” Christy grumbled to no one in particular.
She was guilty on that count, but I decided that discretion was the better part of a happy relationship.
“Come on,” I told her, “let’s get some breakfast.”
“Lunch, you mean,” Wren said. She asked Brooke, “You want some?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Are you going to be nice?” Christy asked.
“Why would we do that?” Wren shot back. “We love you!” She and Brooke shared a look that went from a grin to outright laughter in no time.
Christy looked genuinely hurt, until Wren sobered and wiped her eyes.
“I’m sorry, my love.”
“Me too,” Brooke said. “It’s just that we’ve been comparing notes.”
“Talking about your bad habits,” Wren added.
Christy frowned uncertainly and looked up at me. “I don’t have bad habits, do I?”
“No, they’re all adorable.”
“They are,” Brooke agreed.
Christy wasn’t convinced, so I put my arm around her.
“What’d you expect?” I said. “You wanted them to get to know each other.”
“I didn’t think they’d make fun of me.”
“Welcome to life with two girlfriends. Better you than me. Now, come on, I’m starving.”
“I bought fresh figs at the market,” Wren said hopefully. “I can throw together a quick salad with feta and walnuts.” She grinned at Brooke and added in an aside, “The way to her heart is through her stomach.”
“I can boil water, but that’s about it,” Brooke said. “I had to do it the old-fashioned way.”
“Oh? How?”
“Porn and booze.”
Wren doubled over with laughter, while Christy gave me a stricken look.
“It gets better,” I said as I held the door for her.
“When?”
“No clue.”
* * *
Erin, Leah, and Mark arrived about an hour before dinner. Wren had been expecting them earlier in the afternoon, but the change in plans didn’t seem to bother her.
We greeted them as they climbed from the car and stretched the kinks from their muscles. I introduced Brooke, and we exchanged the usual pleasantries.
Leah blinked in surprise when she realized I shaved my pubic hair. She recovered before anyone else noticed. Then she chewed her lip, and I smiled at the familiar tic. Gina had done the same thing, although Leah seemed more thoughtful than anxious.
She realized I was watching her, and she actually blushed at what she’d been thinking. Then she sobered. Her dark eyes held mine, and we connected again, like we’d never been apart. She relaxed and started breathing again. My reaction wasn’t as obvious, but I still felt like a weight had been lifted.
Do you think it’ll always be like this? I asked silently.
What? Us? Her eyes softened, and her lips curved with the hint of a smile. I hope so.
Me too.
After a moment she glanced at Christy, who was talking to Erin.
What about her? Leah asked. Is she…?
One of us? A swinger? I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I let the anticipation build before I grinned and nodded.
Don’t do that, Leah said with a look. Then she glanced at Christy again and did the thing with her lip. Her expression went from speculation to calculation, and I barely managed to suppress a laugh.
Leah had been into girls more than guys when she’d been younger, although her preferences had changed since then. Still, she was a Coulter woman, which meant that she liked sex, period. My imagination kicked into overdrive, and I pictured us in a foursome. She laughed and covered it just as quickly, but her dark eyes glittered with amusement.
So sue me, I said with a shrug.
She gave me a playful look and deliberately moistened her lips.
Mark picked that moment to interrupt our flirting.
“Let’s unload our things,” he said to the girls. “Then we can get comfortable.”
“We have your rooms ready,” Wren said smoothly. “Brooke and I took care of everything this morning.”
Leah caught my look of surprise, and her eyebrow ticked up with a question.
I’ll tell you later, I replied.
Her gaze shifted from Wren to Brooke to Christy, and she made the two girlfriends connection. Then she smirked, although I had the impression that she was laughing at me instead of Christy.
She was still grinning when Mark passed her a backpack and then handed one to Erin. He shouldered his own.
“Want us to help with the rest?” Trip asked.
“Sure, thanks.” Mark tossed him the car keys, and Trip caught them with a practiced swipe. “Everything’s in the back,” Mark added.
“Right this way,” Wren said. She led him and the girls around the pool and toward their bungalows.
“What can we help with?” Christy asked cheerfully.
“Grab the groceries,” Trip said as he popped the Accord’s hatchback. His eyes widened at the sight of several brown grocery bags, a cardboard box of liquor, plus a half-dozen cases of Bartles & Jaymes. “Someone’s planning a party,” he said under his breath.